Space Hero Saturdays OUTER SPACE "Blueprint for Survival"

Sometimes a Space Hero is just an ordinary guy...

...or someone extraordinary pretending to be ordinary!

This never-reprinted story from Charlton's Outer Space #21 (1959) follows the standard convention of movie/TV sci-fi of the era with friendly aliens who look perfectly human, but dress better (or at least more futuristically than us!
Written by Joe Gill, penciled by Matt Baker, inked by Vince Colletta.

Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...

Matt Baker

Art of Glamour

Paid Link

Space-Hero Saturdays CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT "On the Planet of Peril!"

It Doesn't Matter if Your Alien Arch-Enemy is Dead...

There's always work for Captain Midnight in outer space!

Without an ongoing foe, the "Sentinel of the Spaceways" had a series of one-shot adventures involving alien races, and Earth colonies on other worlds, as shown in thi story from Fawcett's Captain Midnight #58 (1948)!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Captain Midnight Archives

Volume 2

Captain Midnight Saves the World!

Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays JIM SOLAR: SPACE SHERIFF "Defeats the Moon Missile Men" Part 1

From the 1950s comes this weirdly-formatted, never-reprinted strip...

...that was available only as a giveaway inside various products!

Be here next Saturday for the thrillling conclusion!

Created by writer Walter (The Shadow) Gibson and artist E.C. Stoner (Blue Beetle), this 7" x 3.5" comic was part of the Vital Publications line of promotional giveaways distributed by a variety of merchants inside their products' packaging.

This particular one was included in packages of Rodeo All-Meat Wieners...

Back cover

There were apparently eight other Jim Solar comics, but they're very HTF since they were "self-covered (fragile newsprint covers, like the inside pages, instead of the heavy slick magazine paper most comics use for covers) and included with food products, whose juices would damage the paper!

Space Hero Saturdays BUZZY BEAN AND HIS FLYING SAUCER "Mystery of the Meteor"

Though it's been a couple of months since we looked in on Buzzy Bean...

 ..it's been mere days for him and his sister...

This never-reprinted second tale in the all-too-brief series appeared in Good Comics' Johnny Law, Sky Ranger #2 (1955).

Written by publisher Edmond Good and illustrated by Robert Martinott, the story completes the "set-up" for further adventures, which we'll present in the future.

Buzzy Bean Will Return...

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Science Fiction Comics

Taylor History of Comics

Vol 3
Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays PLANET COMICS "Buzz Crandall of the Space Patrol in 'I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!' "

This strip started out as a typical Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers clone...

...but when eccentric (to put it mildly) writer/artist Fletcher Hanks took over as of Buzz's second appearance in Fiction House's Planet Comics #7 (1940)...well, let the apocalyptic craziness begin!

Just another Tuesday for Buzz Crandall, who, despite the "Space Patrol" in the title, seems to run a two-person operation with only his girlfriend to aid him!

Like the tales of Fletcher's other Space Hero, Fantastic Comics' Space Smith, these stories played with the fact that there werem't any "rules" to follow and took the concept of "anything goes" to dizzying levels!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy..

I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!

by

Fletcher Hanks

Space Hero Saturdays WHACK "Flush Jordan"

Yes, it's a Flash Gordon spoof...

..but it has a cultural reference readers under 50 won't recognize!

Ming the Merciless usually looks like this...

...so who's "Bing", the golf-playing guy in the Hawaiian shirt and porkpie hat?

He's Bing Crosby, singer, comedian, obsessive golfer, and (when this comic was published) a pop culture icon!

With that in mind, please read...

The guy at the end, whining about "Thanks for the Memory" is comedian Bob Hope...

...Bing's co-star/rival in the 1940s-50s "Road to..." movie series as well as a pop culture legend in his own right!

Note: Thanks for the Memory" was Hope's personal theme song, used primarily to close his radio show, live appearances, and TV specials!

This never-reprinted story from #2 of St John's MAD clone WHACK was illustrated by William Overgard for 3-D use, but the collapse of the 3-D comic market forced St John to publish it in regular color comic format!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Sincerest Form of Parody
Paid Link

Space...Hero? Saturdays WEIRD TALES OF THE FUTURE "Jumpin' Jupiter and the Strange Case of Gzink Bfnxpp!"

Perhaps the very antithesis of a "Space Hero"...

...Basil Wolverton's Jumpin' Jupiter strip constantly shows us why he shouldn't be among such august company!

This never-reprinted feature from Key's Weird Tales of the Future #3 (1952) is a classic example of Wolverton's...unique...sense of humor and his absolutely-superb design and illustration abilities!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Creeping Death from Neptune

Life and Comics of Basil Woverton

Volume 1

Paid Link